应用主题和作曲家？ [关闭]

Question

I am using the Laravel 4 (beta) framework my new new application which is designed as an open source download and run this install script (e.g. blog, timetracker etc) type application.

I am wanting to allow the interface to be themed, which I can do in a couple of ways, but I am not sure which one to choose. Because I am using composer should I set the theme engine up to expect themes to be packages, or should I just manage the theme's internally? (aka have them sitting in a themes directory).

/-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| Internally Managed Themes             | Packaged Themes                       |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Easy for me to manage                 | Easy for theme developers to manage   |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Manual updates, or needs external     | Automatic updates via composer update |
| theme repo built                      |                                       |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Can do external theme with one click  | Users need to update and manage       |
| install and removal for themes        | composer.json for all theme installs  |
|                                       | and removals                          |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Assets must be static - Although this | Theme developers are free to use pre  |
| shouldn't be a as the assets couldn't | compilers and asset managers allowing |
| really be dynamic when using this     | for dynamic css etc based on a        |
| method                                | configuration or similar.             |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Need to write the code to publish all | Assets get put into the public        |
| the assets to the public directory    | directory via artisan's asset:publish |
| duplicating what already exists in    | command or via the chosen asset       |
| the laravel framework                 | pre compiler                          |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Easy to install themes both in the    | Can't think of an easy way to manage  |
| custom theme repository and just zip  | themes that will not be registered on |
| archive themes                        | a composer repository                 |
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------/

So, from the list above it's a pretty even trade off, and the real question is, do I make it more complicated for me (and the end user of the script) to manage, but easier for the theme developers to do more. Or do I limit what the theme developers can do and make it easier for me and the end users to manage?

Answer 1

Wordpress and similar products allow users with very little technical skill to install a theme. If your market is similarly non-technical, you're going to want to go with "internal" themes. Using Composer pretty much limits you to a very technical audience.

(Unless you do something super-clever like having your app update the composer.json file. That would scare the heck out of me, but it would be one way to have the best of both systems. )